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You will have seen in a previous blog that I have become a huge fan of Natasha Corrett and her way of thinking about food. She has inspired me to research into the Alkaline Diet and the lifestyle that comes with it. There is a link further down from the Telegraph about the Cleanse 🙂

I can’t claim that you’ll be a convert and live a beautifully healthy life with ease, but I know for me, Natasha has encouraged me and helped me tackle my relationship with food.

For a couple of years now, feeling bloated and in pain has become a regular occurrence after eating. I’m left feeling tired and drained of energy. Because of this though, I have read up a lot on different ‘diets’ and lifestyles, tested many recipes and developed my love of food. I am even doing short courses in diet and nutrition, and sports nutrition. I’ve adapted my lifestyle and eat a lot healthier, as well as exercise regularly. I have felt an improvement in my energy levels and the way I generally feel but my bloating and occasional pain has stayed to haunt me.

Keeping a food diary was my wake up call. It’s clear that I have a sensitive stomach and I needed to see what foods I consumed frequently. I knew that most of the things I ate were healthy, but I didn’t quite realise that the majority of my intake was carb and dairy related. The obvious conclusion was to eat more plant based food! Everything I make is from scratch using fresh ingredients, but half of my plate would be full of white rice, pasta or potatoes. Just being aware of this and reducing the portion sizes of these has made a massive difference. I feel much better now that white bread/pasta/rice has been swapped to wholemeal and takes up less space on my plate. And I LOVE sweet potato! Why had I not been eating this before!

When I came across Natasha Corrett, I bought her book straight away. The recipes were accessible, easy and delicious! She showed me that it doesn’t have to be a challenge to get more plant based produce into my daily life. I didn’t have to eliminate anything from my diet. I just had to swap the ratios around. For those that know me, you’ve seen the amount I can stack away sometimes! Never ending pit…

This brings me onto the reason for this blog in the first place… The Honestly Healthy Cleanse.

3 days of soups, smoothies, and juices. When I saw this, I instantly told myself that it wouldn’t happen. There’s no way I could live off liquid for 3 days! My desire to constantly eat would take over and I wouldn’t get to the end. But after reading a little more on the reasons for doing a ‘cleanse’ and the benefits, I decided to give it a go. The boost of nutrients nourishing my body would help improve my skin, my hair, give me a glow, help get rid of water retention, reduce bloating, increase my energy… oh the list goes on. There wasn’t a reason I could think of not to do it! It’s only 3 days… how hard can that be! I drink a smoothie for my breakfast every morning already. I eat soup as well (might be accompanied by a big slab of buttered bread… but that’s not the point ha!)

I did have to make sure I prepared everything a day in advance because there wasn’t enough time first thing in the morning before work to start chopping veg for a smoothie. They tasted just as good kept in the fridge overnight until ready to drink.

If I said it’s been plain sailing, I’d be lying. I found it tough at first. Not because I was hungry, but because I felt as though I needed to physically chew something. I haven’t felt hungry once! That was my biggest fear. I’ve even had to skip a few of the mid-afternoon snacks because I just couldn’t manage anymore liquid! Everything I’ve tasted has been delicious too! In the day, I never gave my soups and smoothies a second thought, but when it came to the evenings, I struggled. The other half would make himself dinner and sit next to me whilst I was slurping my soup. The smell from his food would send me insane! But I got through it because I knew how proud I’d feel that I had accomplished the Cleanse and I was looking forward to seeing what a difference it made. In all honesty, I never craved junk food once. What I really looked forward to was the act of chewing and a variety of flavours in one meal instead of your whole meal tasting the same.

On the first day I felt a little irritable because I was battling with myself. Half of me wanted to give up and admit defeat. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t need to do it and it was pointless. But the other half of me was really intrigued as to whether there would be any benefits. My curiosity won! Thankfully!

It became a little easier on the second day as I was trying soups I’d never had before. Discovering new flavour combinations is wonderful! I was also very surprised at how full I felt! I had to skip the mid-morning juice and ended up having the mid-afternoon smoothie for my evening meal instead of the soup I’d planned to have originally. I can normally consume a fair amount of food! So this was a shock because I didn’t actually want or need anything else. Sitting and watching cookery programmes and reading through my new cookery books was a breeze too! I may have starred longingly at a few of the photos (particularly Jamie’s Everyday Superfood Mushroom Curry *drools*), but it never once made me feel like faltering. I went to bed tired and with a headache but feeling good.

As I never managed to finish all of the allocated soups and smoothies the previous day, I skipped making the mid-afternoon smoothie as I knew I wouldn’t need it. I was correct. Thick blended soups really do keep you full! Good job really! I’d be making claw marks on my desk with my fingernails by now if not! I couldn’t get hold of any gluten-free oats for my breakfast smoothie, so I unfortunately had to use regular ones (does this mean I failed?). As mushrooms are one of my favourite foods, I was actually really looking forward to tucking into a big bowl of mushroom soup for my dinner and curling up on the sofa to watch the Great British Bake Off final! Not to mention the excitement at being able to eat solid food the day after! The mushroom soup isn’t on the Cleanse but I stuck to the Alkaline way of eating and created it to replace some of the suggestions Natasha makes. I can’t say I’m a fan of Cauliflower, although mixed with Pink Peppercorns, it does sound delicious (Page 38). Maybe I’ll give it a try next time!

Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I made the decision to carry on with the soups and smoothies for breakfast and lunch Thursday and Friday. Each soup I cooked made 2 portions so I wanted to make sure they didn’t go to waste J And as I already drink smoothies for my breakfast, I just chose some more from the Honestly Healthy Cleanse book. The 1 of the solid evening meals I chose was adapted from from the Cleanse. I savoured every single mouthful! Nutritious and delicious!

What you really want to know is whether I felt a benefit to all of this…. And the answer is yes! I feel great! I’ve had a few comments on how good my skin looks and that I have an added bounce in my step. The few spots I had form being run down have faded and I’ve even lost a few inches! What’s not to like! But the main reason for the Cleanse was to give my stomach a rest from constantly digesting solid food and it has really helped. I haven’t felt bloated once and haven’t needed to undo that top button of my trousers after every meal! Just consuming liquid isn’t something I can do on a regular basis (and I don’t suggest anybody else does either), but every couple of months, I believe this is a great way to ‘Cleanse’ and put yourself back on the right track; with your mind as well as your body. Natasha recommends this cleanse of a weekend so you are relaxed and can focus your energy into really looking after yourself. It’s a great idea! I went to work every day and this made it harder because sometimes when you are having a stressful day at work, you don’t want liquidised kale! It just doesn’t cut it! My will power and determination stuck with me though and I’m glad 🙂

There were certain ingredients that I couldn’t get hold of, so these were either substituted or left out altogether. Unfortunately, living in Stoke doesn’t lend itself to ‘exotic’ powders and ingredients! *dreams of big city life* They can all be ordered online with forward planning though! I did however take a sachet of pro-biotic everyday alongside the Cleanse. You’ll often see yoghurts with this as an added ingredient. It is a good bacteria that helps give the digestive system a boost and aids a healthy gut. I found it to really help and will continue to take every couple of months to make sure everything is working the way it should. If you’ve got IBS, taking this could really help reduce your symptoms (alongside a healthy diet of course).

Let me know if you decide to give any of the Cleanses in the book a go! I would love to hear from you! I’ll be following these as a guide throughout my food journey and discovery and I hope they help many others just like me to realise how easy it can be to really look after yourself no matter what your circumstance, budget, reason, lifestyle.